Being Shoutarou
by Roxie Zephyr Jocelyn
Summary: Friendship: Terui Ryuu / Hidari Shoutarou, Philip / Hidari Shoutarou. Timeline: Set in the aftermath of Episode 32. Spoilers for Episode 32. Hidari Shoutarou's kindness was a weakness. Or at least, that was what Terui Ryuu used to think.


A/N: The fascinating characters of Kamen Rider W do not belong to me, but to their creator. With that, ENJOY! :D

Being Shoutarou

Terui Ryuu wasn't a man of words or explanations. Mostly, he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself, not willing to bring in any additional liability that often came with too many people sharing a secret. But in this case, he felt he had to make an exception.

It had all seemed fine and dandy; Kamen Rider W successfully achieving its Extreme form, and the good guys defeating the bad guys. Ryuu had even prepared himself to go home for the day, his mind settled as he finished off the necessary paperwork at the police station.

Until he had received a call, the panicked voice of Narumi Akiko stumbling over her words as she tried to convey her message. His heart stopped short.

Hidari Shoutarou had been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition.

So here he was, standing in a sterile corridor, alongside Philip, whose marble white complexion was even paler and more corpselike than usual. Akiko had left to make the required arrangements, filling in forms and packing up Hidari's stuff. She had wanted to stay for more news before heading off, but Ryuu had encouraged her to, knowing that she needed the hustle and bustle to take her mind of things, things that may not happen, things that could come to pass in horrid reality.

The superintendent was a smart man, and more than Akiko, he knew that Philip needed the distraction, but he didn't see the need to alleviate the other man's pain. Firstly, he believed that Philip was strong enough to survive; that being apart from his _aibou_ at such a crucial moment would have been more torturous than being here where they would be the first to hear any news, both good and bad.

But mostly, the more vindictive part of him believed that Philip should feel the full repercussions of his actions, the consequence of his callousness, his thoughtlessness.

From what Akiko had told Ryuu, Hidari hadn't revealed the full extent of his injuries, hadn't planned on revealing the full extent of his injuries, until his eyes had rolled to the back of his head, and he had collapsed a few hours later in the middle of some attempt at self-treatment. It was only then did they realize the toll that everything had taken on his body; his stressed exhaustion, the chill that clung to his skin from being drenched in icy cold water, the physical bruises and hurts that he had taken from the actual battle and the extreme strain on him, both physically and mentally, that had come from transforming into their new form. The list that the doctor had rattled off ranged from the least threatening, such as a mild fever and impending pneumonia, to the most, internal injuries that still continued to bleed.

And, Ryuu's intuition told him that Hidari wouldn't have let it get this bad, not even with his stubborn over-protective tendencies, unless there was something else behind it. In light of his most recent argument with Philip, there was only one thing that could be behind it.

Hidari Shoutarou had been trying to hide from his friends how much he had actually needed them. He had pretended to be strong even when he had no strength left to give.

He had been trying to show Philip that he was good enough to be the other man's partner, and he would willingly have died trying to prove it, to Philip and to himself.

'He was stupid to run off on his own, and try to solve the problem when he knew he couldn't, but you should have stopped him,' said Ryuu, watching Philip from the corner of his eye.

'Instead, you left him alone.'

Ryuu's tone was biting, colder than he had meant it to be.

Philip flinched. Like a puppet cut from its strings, his legs buckled and he fell, burying his head in his bended knees as he arms embraced them, curling up into himself.

If it had been another time, when he had been the old Terui Ryuu, he would've sympathized with Philip for having such an ineffective partner, for having to bear the additional burden of covering up for Hidari's irrational kindness, his weakness.

But, he had been a first-hand recipient of that gentleness, that compassion, that overflowing care that Hidari never seemed to tire of giving even when the detective himself had been stabbed with the short end of the stick. After facing such tragedies, such cruelties, it was truly a wonder that someone like Hidari could exist, experienced without being jaded and cynical, accepting without being vindictive and bitter.

Hidari was strong without being cold, gentle and compassionate where anyone else would have been cruel in their distance.

Nobody in their line of work lasted long if they wore their heart on their sleeves, yet here was someone who could still smile with a genuine brilliance that warmed everyone around him inside out despite all that he had been put through.

A strange feeling welled up within Ryuu. He wanted to protect that smile.

That was why people were drawn to Hidari. Under all that flamboyance and macho bravado, there was a true core of steel, one that was stronger than any Ryuu had ever bourn witness to.

After all, it took strength to remain true to yourself when the whole world was against you.

And, it took strength to remain true to the people around you even though you knew that they were out to get you.

Even when you had been abandoned, been betrayed, more times then you could count.

Hidari Shoutarou had that strength.

There was a shuffle as Philip stood up, his eyelashes still heavy, his cheeks still damp, but his eyes were clear, the set of his shoulders determined.

Ryuu knew that his own face held a similar expression.

Hidari had more than proven himself to them.

It was time they prove themselves to him.

They would not leave him, they would not abandon him, they would not betray him.

He had gifted them all with a rare strength.

And, when he needed it, when he could not carry on alone, Terui Ryuu vowed.

They would give it back to him, support him until he was ready to smile at them once again.

In the kind, gentle way that only Hidari Shoutarou could.


End file.
